Study of Collaborative R&D between Industry and Academics/R&D Institutions in ICTE

India’s ICTE hardware manufacturing sector has immense potential driven by theexplosive growth in electronics and IT consumption. Having identified these as thrustareas, Government of India has undertaken various initiatives, with R&D promotionbeing one of them. Various departments of the Government have been individuallypioneering initiatives aimed at improving indigenous manufacturing through promotionof R&D. Department of Information Technology (DIT), being the nodal Governmentbody for the ICTE sector, has been initiating programs aimed at improving the R&Decosystem and fostering innovation in the country. It has recently initiated a schemecalled the “Multiplier Grants Scheme” (MGS) with the aim to encourage collaborativeR&D between industry and academic/R&D institutions for development of products andpackages.

The objectives of the scheme are:

i. Establish, nurture and strengthen the linkages between the Industry and Institutes;ii. To promote industry oriented R&D at institutes;iii. Encourage and accelerate development of indigenous products and packages; andiv. Bridge the gap between R&D / Proof-of-concept and commercialization / globalization.

The broad eligibility criteria for consideration under the scheme are:

i. The proposal for supporting innovation at the institute should originate from industry (or industry consortium), and be submitted jointly with the institute. The industry consortium would consist of a minimum of 3 industry members;ii. The proposal should be for innovation in modules/ products/ packages/services in the area of E&IT;iii. The proposal should be in the core area of business of the industry;iv. The identified institute/ Project investigator should have the requisite expertise and track record in the proposed area;